Lunar Eclipse
by Crossover King 46
Summary: Three clans, one destiny, and one boy to change it all. When an unsuspecting nukenin takes in a foxboy as his student, all hell breaks loose as an ancient Hidden Village struggles to retrieve its guardian spirit... and the heir of one of its broken clans.
1. Prologue: Trinity

**Lunar Eclipse**

**by Random Writer 46**

**Summary: **Three clans, one destiny, and one boy to change it all. (KOF Elements and characters included.)

**Disclaimer:** Remember, I don't own Naruto or King of Fighters.

* * *

**Prologue: The Trinity**

* * *

A lone figure walked down a street in broad daylight as he tried to sort some thoughts through his head. It had been hard, very hard, to decide to walk this road. Even as he looked at the cheery signs that the shops and restaurants displayed and the affectionate sarcasm of the street vendors, he felt the shadow of doubt gripping him as he tried to remain unrecognized despite the many ninjas that walked by. It was easy to tell who was a ninja and who wasn't -- those that were walked with an elegant grace, while those that weren't seemed more clumsy in general. 

"Get your fresh shrimp here! Top quality, imported directly from the country of Wave! Guaranteed fresh otherwise your money back!" A streetside vendor cried loudly, as though the large sign that stood beside him didn't advertise his produce enough.

The brown-haired figure was surprised at the declaration. Last time he had been to the Wave the entire economy was on the edge of collapse, with the interference of the Gatou Company at work. But then again... He had hear a rumour a few months ago-- something about the leader of the Gatou Company being killed by a missing-nin or something. But no matter. Trivial information like that didn't matter to the young man now.

He brought a hand up in front of him, clenching it. An observant psserby might've noticed what seemed like a spark come off of his fist, but nobody was paying any attention now. A civilian might've passed it off as a ninjutsu, but a ninja would know-- that wasn't a ninjutsu, it was a Bloodline... more specifically, the ancient Kusanagi-Ryuu Kobujutsu... the Magatama.

Kyo Kusanagi wasn't an amateur at using his Bloodline Limit... no, it was more like the fact that he was a certified missing-nin, and didn't want anybody to find out during his stay in the Hidden Leaf.

The brown-haired nukenin wandered through the streets of Konoha a few more times, before getting bored with the stuff that he was seeing. It seemed that all Hidden Villages were the same... At least from an outsider's point of view... The same clans that oppressed their members, the same ideals that sent young men and women out to their deaths...

Kyo's attention suddenly turned towards the sky -- a leaf was floating gently in the wind, supported by an invisible breeze. As the brown-haired nukenin watched, the leaf turned towards the sky and started floating upwards in the gust, it spun around in a circle before ascending to the sky.

There was something symbolic about that -- Kyo just wasn't sure what.

Suddenly, a bright sign that stood in front of a food cart caught his attention.

'Ramen Ichiraku...? Well, I guess I am kind of hungry...' Kyo mentally calculated the amount of ryou he had left... It was just enough for a meal or two. 'Well, it was time to start taking missions again, I guess.'

Walking up to the ramen stand, the nukenin parted the curtains and walked inside.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto sighed as he picked at his ramen. Life had been tough since he had gotten out of the hospital after the succesful rescue mission of the village's golden boy. The village seemed to blame him solely for the misdoings of the younger Uchiha brother, and it reflected in the attitudes of the villagers. The glares had hardened, and now the landlady of his shoddy apartment had even cut off the water to his room. 

Sakura had completely ignored him during his stay at the hospital, but every time he passed by Sasuke's room he had found her waiting outside like some kind of lost puppy, pleading with the ANBU standing at the door to be let in. Every time he had stuffed down the feeling of jealousy, and had continued on.

The mission had been a success as far as they had been concerned, though there had been some major injuries. None of his companions had died -- thank god for that. Neji had been the one in most danger, but even his injuries had been stabilized. Chouji was also fine, except that his old pudgy figure was gone, though the normally pleasantly plump genin was trying to fix that as soon as possible. Everybody else was fine, although Lee had been scolded hard by Tsunade. The sand trio had established their presence in Konoha. Apparently Sunagakure had decided to send a few of their teams over to make up for their betrayal, and Gaara's team had been apart of it. From what Naruto had heard, however, it seemed like the psycho sand boy demanded it -- though for what reason Naruto did not know.

One result of the mission was that Naruto started to feel weak. He actually had to tap into the Kyuubi's power to defeat Sasuke -- which wasn't what he wanted. He had wanted to bring the Uchiha back by himself, but it seemed

The old man that owned the ramen stand frowned. He didn't like it when his best customer was unhappy, not only did it cause his appetite to dissappear into almost nothing, it didn't feel right for this little bundle of sunshine to be so subdued. Even Ayame, his daughter, was looking at the orange-clad ninja with a hint of worry in her eyes.

The atmosphere was broken when a brown-haired man tripped over the doormat and landed face-first on the floor. The fuzzy-haired genin burst out laughing, and the old man tried hard not to chuckle. The brown-haired figure got up, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ow...! That hurt!" Kyo said, wincing, and sat down besides Naruto, looking at the blonde genin for a fraction of a second before turning his attention towards the front. He motioned towards the old man. "A bowl of miso ramen please."

The old man nodded.

Kyo turned his attention inwards again, thinking. Trains of thought raced through his mind, yet he couldn't pay attention to any one of them. He took a pair of single-use chopsticks from the little pile in front of him and split them, still deep in thought.

* * *

_**"No... why..."**_

_Kyo's breathing was ragged._

_What had happened had been surreal._

_What had happened had been horrible._

_Two corpses had been flung into a corner of the large room, one of his genin team and his jounin sensei. Their eyes were wide, as if they hadn't even seen the critical blow come. The younger corpse had two kunai stuck in vital spots -- one embedded deep within the neck and the other on the left side of his chest, the heart. The older man's neck was bent in a strange angle, and his skin seemed withered._

_Twenty-two nukenin stood in a circle around a twelve year old crouching Kyo Kusanagi. The leader of the missing-nins, a Hidden Galaxy jounin, Tetsuo Nomimura, stood in front of the genin, staring at the boy in an almost pitying way. A large hooded cloak covered his face, the brown fabric seemingly rough and scratchy. His grey eyes stood out form a face criss-crossed with scars. In his hand he held a large katana, roughly the length of his armspan._

_**"Sorry, kid. I didn't want to do this." **Tetsuo said, sympathic towards the fallen boy. He had felt the same pain, long ago, and it had never stopped. There were days when he wanted to commit suicide after waking up with a scream from a horrible nightmare, and yet he had never found it within himself to actually do it. The long, sleepless nights that he had endured had been the trigger, the first event in a chain that had lead him into the hellhole that was currently his life._

_Behind him... crucified on the wall with four wakizashi was the unmoving, unblinking form of a girl with her face frozen in a scream of eternal suffering. Her blood drenched the walls, and her brown hair hung limply around her face. Her unblinking blue eyes were frozen over in death, and her mouth was stuck in a never-ending scream._

_**"Yuki... Yuki-chan..."**_

_The missing-nins perked up at the sound of the genin's voice, and Nomimura shook his head. He didn't like doing this, but he knew that if he didn't there would be no way for him to continue on living. He was a missing-nin, there was no way back, and even if there was he wasn't sure if he wanted to revert to the living style he had before. There was nothing else to do._

_He raised his katana, the blade glinting in the dim light, and just as he was about to bring the katana down, something unexpected happened._

_The blade of the katana had been stopped by a wall of pure chakra._

_**'How...?'** Tetsuo wondered. **'The amount of chakra gathered was able to take on a physical form by itself without being molded...?'**_

_Suddenly, Kyo's face rose, and Tetsuo looked into the most frightening eyes he had ever seen. More horrible than that pair of swirling red Sharingan he had faced years ago as a Hidden Stone nin, and more horrible than the blood red and golden Makaigan that he had encountered during his last brush with the Hidden Mist hunter-nins. These eyes were pure white, and for the first time the nukenin felt and saw the orange chakra that lingered around the genin's body, mostly around his arms._

_**"What... what are you?" **The Hidden Stone nukenin asked the hunched figure in front of him. The boy suddenly stood up, and grabbed the katana in his hand, before giving it a sharp chop with his other hand. Unbelievably, the metal suddenly melted away in the middle where the young genin had delivered the blow. And also for the first time, Nomimura noticed the embers that engulfed the boy's hand. **"What the hell are you!"**_

_And the boy, graduated from the ninja academy for only sixteen months, the boy that had barely become a ninja, the dead last of his class, the heir to an unimportant clan, the loser that had come from another village, standing in the center of the room replied._

_**"Kusanagi, of the Sanshu no Jingi."**_

* * *

Kyo took a left at memory lane and suddenly found himself back in the real world. The bowl of miso ramen that had suddenly appeared in front of his face was cool by now, though the young nukenin found he had lost his appetite. Taking the chopsticks, he picked at the ramen. There was no point in trying to eat now... there would be absolutely no way that his stomach would fit the whole bowl of ramen down after that recollection. 

"Oi, oi!" The voice of a young boy called from his left, and Kyo turned around, and was instantly assaulted by the horribled abomination of orange and blue that was the kid's jumpsuit. Kyo actually winced. The genin that stood in front of him couldn't have been fourteen, and yet the whole demeanor of the kid screamed 'five'. "Hey! If you don't want that ramen can I have it? No point in it going to waste, you know!"

Kyo was instantly worried about having been found out, but just by looking at the eyes of the young blonde that stood in front of him he knew that he wouldn't have to worry about that. Though the eyes of the genin spoke volumes of loneliness and pain, it also held an insurmountable amount of trust and determination. And just by looking at those eyes, Kyo could tell that this kid wouldn't be able to tell a friend that he had stolen their pencil without looking guilty.

Chuckling, Kyo slid the bowl over.

"Sure, help yourself."

The brown-haired nukenin, smiling, watched the fuzzy-haired genin dig in with relish. It was like watching a black hole at work. The ramen disappeared into the boy's mouth as quickly as kikkai bug into the owner's body. Kyo watched with interested for a few moments, before shaking his head and rising from his seat.

"Right, I'll take my leave now. Enjoy the ramen, kid." The brown-haired nukenin said. Naruto was too busy inhaling the unhealthy noodles to notice.

Kyo grinned as he felt the cool afternoon air of Konoha hit his face. The kid hadn't even realized that he had left the bill with him. The brown-haired nukenin smiled as he continued walking down the street -- though he did start walking a little faster at the sound of outrage that erupted from the ramen stand that he had just left.

* * *

"Hey, you!" 

Naruto was beyond pissed, and what luck. The asshole that had left him with the bill was right in front of him, sitting on the same log that he had been tied to the day that he had passed the genin exams. The brown-haired nukenin seemed to not have heard him, as he was quietly munching on a sandwich.

A vein bulged ontop of Naruto's head, and he quickly withdrew a kunai from his pouch. Taking careful aim, he quickly swung it towards the nukenin. As his aim wasn't the best in the world, he wanted to make sure he wouldn't kill a random passerby just because he was careless. It would hurt his dream of becoming Hokage after all.

The kunai zipped by the brown-haired nin, and with one swift movement he swung his arm forward and caught the kunai by inserting his pinky into the hole. Naruto gaped as the brown-haired nukenin finished off the rest of the sandwich quickly with his left arm, and jumped off the log.

"It's not very nice to throw sharp objects at people when they're eating, kid." Kyo said with a smile. The kunai had been aimed pretty well -- something that he didn't expect from a ninja this young. He noticed too late that it hadn't been aimed towards him at all, and was actually going to zip by his face from the right. Oh well, too late. He had blown his cover already, and the only thing that he had going for him now was the fact that young ninja were often not informed of the traits of a missing-nin. Time to see if that was true in this Hidden Village.

The blonde-genin quickly shook off his disbelief, and pointed a finger at Kyo defiantly.

"Well, it's not very nice to leave a kid like me with the bill!" The foxboy yelled at the Hidden Galaxy nin. "You're a ninja, right? I challenge you to a fight! If I win you have to say sorry to me, and you'll have to buy me another bowl of ramen!"

Kyo smiled. This boy was rather interesting.

"Oh, and if I win?" Kyo asked. He didn't have enough money for another bowl of ramen, after getting himself that sandwich. Oh well, it wasn't like the kid was going to win anyway. After six years on the road and training himself in the ways of his Bloodline, he was at least above Jounin level. Oh well, he still had to decide if he actually wanted to accept the kid's challenge anyway.

"Then... uh..."

"It's alright, I don't need a reason to win." Kyo said confidently. "The name's Kyo Kusanagi, and you?"

"Naruto Uzumaki!"

Kyo's eyes widened, and for a moment his eternally calm facade dropped.

"...Did you say... Uzumaki?"

* * *

Kyo and Naruto stood across from eachother, bozing sizing the other up. Kyo hadn't even known when he had agreed. After the genin had proclaimed his name the brown-haired nukenin's mind had just gone blank. Well, not exactly blank. More like entirely occupied by one single thought. 

_**Uzumaki**...? But all the Uzumaki's were wiped out after that incident! And even if they did survive... Why would one of them be here in Konoha of all Hidden Village? They hated the Leaf... Especially after that incident with the Kyuubi, so why would they be here...? But... _

Kyo regarded the boy carefully. The golden-blonde hair, the blue eyes, and of all the determination that seemed to burn from within.

_It's possible... Half of the clan's bodies weren't found. There's only one way to find out then... _

They stood across from eachother, neither of them moving a muscle, and all of a sudden the brown-haired nukenin suddenly dropped into a fightiing stance. He tossed the large brown cloak that he had been wearing, and Naruto was able to see what he was wearing underneath.

On his torso was a white shirt, and over top was a black jacket emblazoned with the symbol of a sun. He wore some strange type of black jeans, and the belt that he used to hold his jeans up wasn't completely kept in place. And on his hands, were black fingerless gloves that seemed to go straight up to his elbows, even though Naruto couldn't see under the sleeves of his jacket. (Kyo's King of Fighters 2003 outfit.)

_Come on kid, show me what you can do!_

"IKUZE!" (1)

* * *

Naruto found himself hard-pressed to parry the first attack. It came at him out of nowhere. The guy that he was facing was incredible -- even Sasuke-teme hadn't been this fast when they fought back at the waterfall. But then again... this guy obviously wasn't genin level, that was for sure. Maybe this was the way all high-ranking ninjas fought... 

Naruto had managed to dodge it by ducking underneath the swing, and as a counter he tried to uppercut the charging nukenin. Kyo immediately stopped his assault, and pushed both hands underneath, blocking the rising blow and flipping over the genin. Before the genin had even noticed what had happened, he felt his legs give out under him as Kyo made a quick sweep with his legs. As the genin fell, Kyo delivered a powerful drop kick to the genin's back, and propelled him through the air.

"Come on, kid!" Kyo called. "If this is your best, then you'll never be able to beat me!"

With that, the nukenin boosted himself off the grassy ground, swinging his leg up just as Naruto was about to come down...

**"Mu Shiki: R.E.D Kick!" (2)**

...and with a great bone-breaking kick, sent the young genin towards the ground in a blow that would have been lethal to a normal civilian. But Kyo had to do this... he had to find out if this young was a part of the clan that had been shattered alongside the Kusanagi, Yagami, and the Kagura so long ago...

He wasn't disappointed.

The young blonde genin hit the ground in a handstand and flipped over onto his feet. It wasn't the most graceful movement, but as Kyo watched, he saw some of that old Uzumaki style within it. That fighter's instinct... the most important part of a warrior, a ninja.

"Don't... underestimate me!"

Kyo grinned as they began round two.

* * *

**"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" (3)**

Five Narutos appeared around the original, poofing into existence with identical idiotic grins. Kyo's brow furrowed. A genin knowing a jounin level kinjutsu? That was nearly unheard of. But then again, if this kid was Uzumaki, he shouldn't be the least bit surprised. The entire clan had always been the greatest at the difficult jutsus, there were many of them that couldn't master even the simplest Katon jutsus like the Katon: Goukakyuu and had yet managed to use the Katon: Karyuu Endan on their first try.

The Narutos rushed Kyo, trying to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. Kyo was surprised by the genin's thoughtlessness, but then realized something. There were only five Narutos rushing him, and there were supposed to be six, including the original. That meant there was one missing.

**"Ura 108 Shiki: Orochinagi!" (4)**

Suddenly all the Narutos were burnt away in a wave of blazing inferno. Each of them poofed out of existence, proving that the original one wasn't there after all. Kyo's hand rushed through the bodies of the Narutos, his eye searching traces of another fuzzy-haired genin.

After the smoke from the Kage Bunshins had blown away, only then was Kyo able to see what Naruto had been doing.

"I'm tougher than you think, onii-san!"

Kyo's eyes widened as he watched the swirling mass of chakra approach him at incredibly high speeds. He could do something like that! The amount of destruction contained within that ball seemed massive, there was no way he could block it. And he didn't want to hurt the kid... there was only one thing to do.

Charging forwards, Kyo timed his trick. Ducking underneath the bright blue ball of chakra, the brown-haired nukenin borught his leg up as the fuzzy-haired genin passed by overheads. Naruto had barely enough time to react before the heel of Kyo's foot struck him into the air... The Rasengan lost its shape immediately, and dispersed into nothingness.

**"75 Shiki Kai!" (5)**

Another heel struck Naruto, this time with much greater force. The blow sent him careening into the sky. The blonde genin grabbed a branch on the way up and swung ontop of it, breathing heavily. He wiped his mouth on his arm. They gazed at eachother, sizing their opponents up.

"That was Ura Shiki 1080: Rasengan of the Uzumaki-ryuu Dobujutsus, wasn't it?" Kyo asked. That move that the kid had decided to use against him definitely fit the bill... But the weird thing was that the chakra contained within the ball wasn't hot at all, and didn't seem to contain any of the qualities that all Shiki utilized by the hand had. There were no flames, no heat... there was only one explanation for that.

"What...?" Naruto asked. "You know about the Rasengan? What's a Shiki?"

Kyo's eyes narrowed. Just as he thought. The jutsu was incomplete.

"Get down here, kid." Kyo said. "Where are your parents?"

Naruto dropped down, and for a moment Kyo caught a dejected look on his face before it was replaced by that sunny smile again. It seemed like he was trying hard to be happy and not think about something, at least that was what Kyo could tell.

"I don't have any parents." Naruto said, quietly. "I've never had them."

Kyo nodded. He had expected something like this. Damn it... He was a missing-nin! But there was no way he could let a surivor of the Uzumaki clan massacre go just like that... No, his clan had commited too big of a crime for him. And judging from the look of the boy. He was lonely.

"Get down here, kid." Kyo had made a decision. "I've got something to show you."

And he withdrew, from his pouch, a scroll emblazoned with nine tails.

* * *

(1) Let's go! 

(2) No Type: Rainbow Energy Dynamite Kick

(3) Art of Shadow Clone

(4) Reverse 108 Type: Great Serpent Mower

(5) 75 Type Open

A/N: Remember to review now, and tell me if you're interested in learning more about Kyo's backstory. What happened to the Uzumaki clan and the Kusanagi clan will be revealed later. I'm also going to try and bring as many KOF characters into this story as possible, because they're all so cool in their own ways. Oh, and Orochi is definitely going to have something to do with Orochimaru.


	2. Chapter 1: The Ninetails Scroll

**Lunar Eclipse**

**by Random Writer 46**

**Summary: **Three clans, one destiny, and one boy to change it all. (KOF Elements and characters included.)

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Ninetails Scroll**

* * *

"Take this." Kyo threw the scroll at the foxboy. Naruto caught it in his arms, looking at it strangely. "Let me ask ask you something. Have you ever felt a strange feeling within you, like something's burning?"

"Y--Yeah..." Naruto stuttered, surprised that somebody he had just met would give him something like this. "But it comes once every three days and it only lasts for a bit, so I don't pay much attention to it." Then Naruto got suspicious. "How do you know all this stuff about me? Who are you? Are you Akatsuki?"

Kyo raised an eyebrow. The boy seemed pretty knowledgeable about the various kinds of missing-nin out there. The Akatsuki were the strongest missing-nins around. None of the other nukenins dared cross their path, well, except for a certain daring few. Kyo had come across them more than once, and it was safe to say that he was lucky he escaped with his life. The Akatsuki disliked missing-nins that weren't their own, after all...

"No, I'm not." Kyo said. It would be hard to phrase the next sentence... He wanted the kid to trust him after all. There would be no way to train the Uzumaki survivor if he didn't trust him. But then, how could he tell the kid about the relationships between their clan, and not get to what happened to them? "I don't know you, but I know about your clan."

Naruto felt as if something had shocked him. It was understandable after all, he couldn't quite believe it. He didn't want to believe, to have his hopes rise just for it to prove a lie. After all, even if it was true... how could some stranger he met in a ramen bar know anything about his clan? It was too coincidental to be true. But there was something in the nukenin's eyes that made him want to believe.

"I have a clan?" The fuzzy-haired genin yelled.

"I'm not surprised you don't know." The brown-haired missing-nin said, gritting his teeth. "Your clan is very protective of their young. If you're here without parents or guardians or even a bodyguard of any kind, I can tell that you don't know anything about it at all. There are people willing to kill to get their hands on your Bloodline." That much was true... and that was the exactly the reason the downfall of the Uzumaki happened.

"I have a Bloodline!" Naruto yelled. It was too good to be true. There were many clans in Konoha, but most of them didn't have Bloodlines at all, and only inherited special traits and skills from their parents. Like the Aburames and the Inuzuka... They couldn't exactly be called Bloodlines, more like family skills passed on generation from generation.

"Yes, and if what I suspect is true, then you should have no problems activating it. How old are you?" Kyo asked. It wasn't exactly a personal question. He needed to know this information if he wanted to train the kid. By the look of the boy he didn't have much time before his chakra stabilized... That would be a bad thing, as the Bloodline had to be activated before the chakra system finishes changing. Otherwise the Bloodline would rip his body apart.

"I have a clan and a Bloodline!"The genin was still in disbelief.

SMACK.

"Yes, you do. Now shut up and answer." Kyo was losing patience. And he was still shaken from finding an Uzumaki survivor, and there was no way he was just going to let this opportunity go. A short-term visit had just turned into a long-term stay... Maybe he could get a job here as a shinobi. The Leaf would be excited to get their hands on a new Bloodline after all, and since he didn't commit any crimes during his time as a nukenin he should be fine...

"Itai---!" The genin whined. His left hand was tightly clutched around the scroll.

"Well? I'm waiting." The nukenin said.

"Alright, alright! I'm twelve!" Naruto yelled. "What's it to you?"

Kyo let out a sigh of relief. That was good. If he was one year older then it would be too late to activate the Magatama, and by the time he hit sixteen years of age he would die as the powerful sacred chakra tries to get out of his body. Perfect.

"Then you're overdue for your Bloodline activation. Read the scroll, it'll tell you everything you know." Ordered Kyo. "That scroll should teach you the basics of your Bloodline, as well as any miscellaneaous information you might want to know."

"Al--Alright..." Naruto said. His mind was _still _reeling from the information. But could you really blame him?

"Meet me here tomorrow after you've finished reading it. I can tell you have a lot of questions. I'll answer them tomorrow. How does two-thirty in the morning sound?" Kyo asked nonchalantly as Naruto's jaw hit the floor. HE took a look at his watch. Three in the afternoon.

Just then a thought hit Kyo. Where was he going to get the money for food and everything before he was to try and become a Leaf-nin? Damnit... He was going to have to ask the old man for help again...

"What? Why two!"

"Cause its gonna take four hours to activate your Bloodline. And that's the best time window. Not many people will be awake by then, and your Bloodline is weakest during dawn and twilight, so you'll give off the least chakra. Only people looking for the chakra that your family emits will find it. Alright, that's it. You got all that, right?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Good, meet me here tomorrow then."

Kyo turned to leave, and just as he was about to, Naruto called from behind him.

"Wait! Why are you helping me?"

Tons of reasons ran through Kyo's head, chasing each other forwards and backwards. Because it was a way of redeeming his fallen clan? Because what had happened four thousand years ago? Because of the event that had bonded the four clans? Because of the promise that the leader of the Kusanagis had made with the Uzumakis all those years ago?

"I'm just trying to right a wrong, that's all." The nukenin said nonchalantly.

And with that, a flash of heat and light came out of nowhere. The sudden brightness blinded Naruto for a split second. When he had put his arms down, Kyo was gone.

Naruto studied the scroll for a bit more, before splitting his face in a wide grin. He had better get home fast if he wanted to read the scroll through and still get enough time to sleep before meeting that guy again in the morning!

* * *

Kyo sat on the branch of a large tree in the forests of Konoha. He sighed. He had been putting this call off for six years, but now he knew there was no choice anymore. He either did this or he got screwed, and all chance of redemption for the clan goes out the window. Of course, there was the chance since this had to do with the honour of the clan that the old man wouldn't make too much of a fuss about it. But then again, the old man was always so damn unpredictable.

He took out a black cellphone from his pocket, and flipped the top open. It was emblazoned with falme designs, and on its back was the insignia of the Kusanagi clan, the sun. Scrolling down the list of numbers, he found the one he wanted and clicked the talk button.

After a series of dial tones, the phone on the other side was picked up and a gruff voice replied.

"Kusanagi residence, who's talking?"

Kyo sighed. Good thing to know that the old man hadn't shuffled off the mortal coil yet.

"Hey, dad." The nukenin nonchalantly said. The voice on the other end sputtered for a bit. Kyo grinned, good to know he could still piss that old bastard off. But then again, what would the old man say after six years of not keeping in touch.

"K-Kyo, is that you?" Saisyu Kusanagi called into the phone, and Kyo had to shy away from the cell phone. Oh well, he knew a surefire way of pissing his old man off. Unless he got over that already. But then again, it wasn't a really good idea to be pissing off a guy you wanted money from, right?

"Yeah, had any other sons when I was away?" Kyo called cheekily into the reciever, and the voice on the other end sputtered again. Actually, that was really amusing. Who knew after years of estrangement he would actually be happy that he was talking to his idiot of a father again?

"You idiot! Stupid brat! Calling your father now after running away for six years!" Saisyu roared into the telephone, and Kyo had to move the cellphone way from his ear again. Talking to his dad was a hazard actually. Who knew? Maybe after ten calls or so he could actually become deaf.

"Quiet down, old man. I wouldn't have if I didn't need to. You know I hate dealing with you and the rest of the clan. There's something urgent going on here, pops." Kyo said. "I found a survivor of the Uzumaki clan."

There was silence on the other end for a while.

"Really...?"

"Yeah, no kidding." Kyo said. "He seems exactly like how you described the clan. Spiky blonde hair, blue eyes, what else."

The old man on the other end seemed to regain his gusto.

"What's his name?" The clan head of the Kusanagis roared. Kyo had been ready for this and had already shifted the position of the cell. This was starting to remind him why exactly he hadn't kept in touch. Oh well.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"N--Naruto?"

"Yeah... Hey, do you know something I don't, pops?"

"Hmph, I guess running away for six years wouldn't have taught you anything about respect to your elders." Saisyu huffed. "And about the Uzumaki kid you found... I'm not going to tell you until I'm sure."

"Whatever. I need some money, old man."

"The first time you call me in six years and you ask for money! I guess it's true what they say about teenagers..."

"Look, dad. I wasn't planning on staying in this place long. But now that I found this kid everything's going to change. So I need some cash."

"Fine, I'll transfer it to your old account. You're still using it, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks, pops." Kyo said, glad that that the old man hadn't made a fuss. "Hope you know I appreciate this."

"You'd better."

"See ya now."

"Wait!"

"Yeah?"

"How am I supposed to contact you? Leave me a cell number or something!"

"Oh, oh yeah." Kyo said his number as Saisyu scribbled it down.

"Alright then, contact me if anything else happens. Where are you?"

"Konoha."

"That place? Are you sure that's right? If I know the Uzumakis..." Saisyu paused. "Actually... You know what? That fits with my theory."

"So, when are you going to tell me about this so-called theory of yours?"

"When it's done, brat. If you're going to teach that kid about the Bloodline... Wait, you are going to do that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I haven't abandoned the clan, pops. I've just abandoned the village, that's all."

"Fine. But if you want to teach the kid, you might want to become a Konoha ninja. I can't keep sending you money, you know, and people would get suspicious if you hang around too long."

"Yeah, that's what I was planning."

"I've heard about the Godaime Hokage. She's a terrible gambler--"

"She?"

"Yes, she. Now shut up. Here's a tip. Make a bet with her. I can almost guarantee she'll lose, so don't worry about it if you still have that cursed luck of yours."

"Yeah. Chill, pops."

"Alright, stay in touch."

"No worries."

Kyo snapped the phone shut. That had actually gone better than he had expected. He jumped off the branch and fell to the grassy ground gracefully. He'd wander around a bit more looking at the sights before going to the bank -- the old man wasn't one to be quick no matter how loud he roared.

* * *

The moment Naruto did when he got back home was to bypass his deathtrap of a door and into the bedroom, where he promptly plopped down on top of the unmade bed and opened the scroll.

"So, let's see what you've got." The fuzzy-haired genin said to the scroll. Taking a deep breath, he skimmed the page. The scroll had actually been longer than he had thought, and the writing was small, so there was a lot of information contained within it.

_This is the Ninetails scroll. If you are reading this, it means you are either a Uzumaki or a Kusanagi. This scroll is meant to hand down precious techniques of the Uzumaki clan in case anything ever happens. In these pages, techniques that are meant to be used with the Uzumaki Bloodline, the sacred flames 'Magatama', will be described._

Naruto skimmed the next few parts, which told of the safety precautions and things that shouldn't be done with the Magatama. Well, most of it was pretty obvious. The 'don't you ever fucking light a light in the middle of a large room full of gunpowder' was a prime example. Well, there were a few that he had to read over twice, such as the 'if you ever start wearing red hats and jackets with a star on the back and spouting bad english commit seppuku'. He was starting to wonder whether this scroll was written by a sane guy before he reached the technique list. It immediately destroyed any disrespect he had for the creator of the scroll.

It was neatly organized in alphabetical order, the amount of chakra consumed was also written, though it was in a type of measurement unfamiliar to him, there were lists of combos, as well as what might be the best time to start trying to learn a move, techniques that worked against particular Bloodlines (it warned him to stay away from the Forest Tentacles Bloodline from the Hidden Grass, though after reading through what they could do Naruto was inclined to agree), there were plenty of fighting styles suggested and even information on where to find more information about his clan.

And so the foxboy read, almost all throughout the night.

* * *

"Damnit, where the hell is he!"

Naruto was pissed, he had woken up at exactly two twenty, had panicked when he had realized what time it was, dressed up in record speed, and dashed all the way over here for what! He didn't want his new sensei to turn out to be another Kakashi...

Suddenly, a large snore attracted his attention. Turning to the source of the sound, he saw a tuft of brown hair poking out from a large blanket, and the funny thing was -- the whole thing was on a large branch of a tree. Naruto stood, dumbfounded for a few seconds before a large snore penetrated through the clearing again and snapped the foxboy out of his stupor.

"Hey! Hey!" The blonde genin called. "What the hell are you doing, you lazy sensei?"

"Snnnrk..." The sleeping Kyo rolled over, miraculously not falling off the branch for some reason. Naruto could tell from the way that he breathed and the way that his eyes were closed that he was actually asleep. That was one of the basic things they had taught in the ninja academy.

Curses, the enemy was strong. Well, he was going to have to use some stronger ammunition then.

"Hey! WAKE UP DAMNIT!" The foxboy yelled. The trees in the clearing shook and the earth trembled. Leaves fell from the green tufts above. It was nowhere as strong as Sakura-chan's shriek yet though... But hey, he was still practicing, right? Anyway, the Banshee's Cry no Jutsu was meant to be for females, with their higher voices... For some funny reason the pink-haired girl never thought of using it as an offensive weapon. That was funny, Naruto thought, wasn't it pretty obvious from the Sound-nins that sound could be used as a weapon?

Kyo sat up groggily, rubbing at his eyes. He stared at Naruto, as if he couldn't figure out why exactly the young boy standing in front of him was so pissed, or why he was even there at all. Shaking his head and blinking the sleep away from his eyes, he took a water canteen from inside his jacket and sprayed it on his hands. At Naruto's curious gaze, he quickly mashed it over his face. It seemed to wake him up.

"Alright, alright. No need to be so loud. Why'd you wake me up so early in the morning?" Kyo yawned. Sure, sleeping in rough places had become a habit during his tryst as a nukenin, as well as waking up early in the morning to get away from hunter-nins, but he was having a really good dream, damnit! Now he couldn't even remember what it was about...

"So we can get to the Bloodline awakening thing, hello?" Naruto was in disbelief, what kind of half-assed sensei had he gotten himself? "Remember?"

"Right, right... But why so early in the morning?"

"ARRRGGHH!"

"Just kidding. Alright, then..." Kyo suddenly seemed completely aware. His eyes took on an evil glint that would've sent Itachi and Orochimaru screaming in fear if they had seen it. Oh yeah, he was going to get this kid good for ruining his nap time. "Since you're so ready, I'll give it to you. It might hurt a little bit though."

"Right..." Unluckily, Naruto hadn't caught the glint in his new sensei's eyes. If he did, he might have started seriously thinking about joining the Akatsuki. "Oh yeah, sensei?"

"Hmm?" Kyo replied intelligently. He hadn't had his morning coffee yet, and he was hurriedly trying to remember all the details about the Ritual of Blood Awakening. Oh, it didn't have to be perfect. Luckily the ritual was pretty forgiving compared to other sealing and unsealing rituals. If he made a few handseals wrong or got some of the written work wrong, it still wouldn't matter, the kid would just start out with a lower amount of Magatama chakra, that's all. Didn't matter much, if the kid was going to work under him then he would train the kid's Magatama to its fullest. No question.

Then he found himself in the real world again, listening to the boy talk.

"What should I call you?"

"Well, uh..." The brown-haired nukenin was confused. There hadn't been many people, let alone teachers that he looked up to... Even his old academy teacher had grown tired of his constant disrespect. "I guess Kyo-sensei would do."

"Right! Let's do this, Kyo-sensei!"

Naruto was still blissfully ignorant.

Kyo was demonically happy.

* * *

The sealing ring looked awesome, that was the only way that Naruto could describe it. When Kyo-sensei had pulled out a brush and a can of red paint fifteen minutes ago and told him to go play in the woods or something he did not expect to come back to something like this.

On the ground was two circles, and in the middle of the smaller circle was the design of a flame, stylized and curvy. There were lines trailing away from the flame in the center, nine of them, to be exact. Plenty of kanji was inscribed on the tails, though they were arranged in a fashion unlike any that Naruto had ever seen.

Kyo-sensei had seemingly finished, and had stepped back to admire his work.

"Wow... Sensei, that's awesome!" Naruto cried. "Does it look that cool all the time when you do that awakening ritual thing?"

"Huh, this?" Kyo asked, pointing at the stylized flame and the way that the nine lines twisted and turned. They were unbelievably awe-inspiring, and the way they were positioned seemed to give them a sense of motion. As if the flame was really burning, and as if the lines were really moving. "Nah, that's just my inner artist talking."

Naruto was speechless for a second.

"Is it alright to do that!" Naruto cried. "I mean, aren't rituals and stuff supposed to be precise!"

Kyo huffed.

"Alright, think about it this way." The brown-haired nukenin said. "These guys are your ancestors, they designed this ritual. Do you think you could stand doing the same boring thing over and over again? Your clan has always been weird."

"Oh." Naruto said. "Oh yeah, what's those kanji say?"

"These?" Kyo asked, pointing at the symbols. "These aren't kanji, they're hanzi. They're the writing form of an ancient language called Chinese. The language we speak nowadays, Japanese, was derived from it. Not many people know how to speak it or write it now, but it's very important in rituals and stuff."

"Oh, are you going to teach it to me?"

"Maybe, I'll think about it." Kyo laughed, and pointed at the flame symbol that stood in the middle of the rings. "Alright then... Sit down over here, cross-legged. I'm gonna have to do a few things to make sure nothing goes wrong."

Naruto did as he was told. The brown-haired checked the symbols, did a few seals, and used his brush to add a few extra symbols, before he was finally satisfied. Walking up to Naruto's back, he quickly used the brush to swipe a character over the orange fabric. Ignoring Naruto's yelp, he quickly put the brush back in the can, before performing a few seals.

"You ready then? Let's go!"

He slammed his hand ontop of the symbol that he had just created, and Naruto felt himself shake from the impact. the red character seemed to multiply, and the lines that made up the character spread and vanished into nothingness. Suddenly, the red symbols on the ground glowed with an unearthly light, and a sudden wind seemed to blow from the ground. Naruto could feel the power swelling within him.

_"**Tian shang de shen xian, wo de zu xian, hai yo wo zi ji... zai zhe shi ke qing ni men gei wo li liang! Zai zhe shi ke, qing ni men rang wo ba zhe ge li liang... gei hui ta de zhen zheng de zhu ren! (1)" **_Kyo cried, in a language that Naruto didn't understand. Suddenly, Naruto could feel flames erupting from inside of him. It engulfed him, and sent shockwaves throughout his body. The ground split and cracked, and the grass that he sat on withered. The atmosphere was ethereal.

**_"Suo kai! (2)" _**Kyo cried, and everything blew up. The brown-haired nukenin was blown back by the force of the power that he had unleashed -- and watched, stunned. His father had never told him about this before! The power that the young man had collected and stored inside of him, had burst out into physical form. Flames covered his body.

But the most amazing thing wasn't that.

Nine flaming tails encircled him, each moving in its own way, swishing and swooping through the air, they seemed to protect the boy, allowing nothing to get close to him. Naruto was deep in a trance, his eyes wide awake but seeing nothing, and his mouth slightly open. He was breathing -- that was good to know.

Kyo furrowed his eyesbrows... had he screwed something up?

* * *

**Brat... Wake up!**

_Wha... what? Where the hell am I?_

Naruto found himself falling, falling through the darkness. There was no end in sight, and the only thing that he could see at all was himself. That was strange. Usually when everything else was hidden in darkness so were you. He kept falling... falling... It was all he could do was to concentrate on that voice talking to him.

**It's me!**

_K... Kyuubi!_

**Who else could it be! You're inside your mind again. Seems like that ritual the Kyo brat did didn't account for my presence when he did that ritual... Something's going wrong.**

_What do you mean! Am I going to die?_

**No, you idiot! This ritual is definitely powerful, and quite dangerous if done wrong, but the brown-haired rat did well. So even though my presence affected it, it's still doing fine. It's just the side-effects that you have to worry about. **

_Damnit, bastard fox! Explain!_

**The ritual attempts to pull out a special chakra from within you. This chakra, when given form, is unlike any other chakra in the way that it attempts to mimic the movement and properties of flames, except its heat and power is in a different league from usual flames. I'm familiar with both of your clans, the Kusanagi and the Uzumaki...**

_What! Why didn't you ever tell me, you bastard!_

**Because I only made the link a little while ago. I've got millenias of knowledge crammed within my brain, punk. You think I can remember everything clearly all the time!**

_Aha! So you're senile!_

Naruto could imagine the giant fox bristling.

**Forget it. Let me get back to my explanation.**

_Sure._

**Thank you. Now, imagine, the ritual is meant to pull out any foreign chakra that hides within your body, and most of the Uzumaki clan members only have one, the Magatama. Now imagine, the ritual finds another, even more foreign chakra in your body, a chakra that had been sealed inside of you since the day you were born, but not a part of you...**

_Oh my god, it's going to try and suck your chakra out._

**Exactly, that's not good.**

_Why? I thought you would want to get free after being trapped inside of me for so long._

**You think it's that easy? Remember, the ritual pulls chakra, not soul. Each person's soul is sustained by their chakra, and that means if my chakra goes, then my soul would usually die and go to heaven or hell. But since this seal is here, instead of going to heaven or hell, it's oblivion for me.**

_And what do you want me to do? I've wanted you dead for a long time now, 'member?_

**...I forgot to mention the soul explosion backlash that'll rip your body apart.**

_Oh look, I'm suddenly motivated. What do you want me to do?_

**Nothing really, just to warn you. When the next wave of chakra hits, don't tense up. If you do, it'll be the end of us all.**

_No pressure._

And Naruto closed his eyes, waiting for it. Suddenly, he saw it below him. A pool of red chakra, and he was falling faster and faster. He'd just have to take the fox's word then, oh well, not like the stupid kitsune could actually do anything to harm him, after all. Taking a look up, he saw the same characters he had seen on the ground in the real world.

He closed his eyes, and braced for impact.

* * *

No reviews yet? This is making me sad...

(1) **_Gods above, my ancestors, and myself... in this moment, give me strength! And let me give this power... back to its rightful owner!_**

(2) **_Lock open!_**


	3. Chapter 2: NA, CM, GS, K, and You

**Lunar Eclipse**

**by Random Writer 46**

**Summary: **Three clans, one destiny, and one boy to change it all. (KOF Elements and characters included.)

* * *

**DarkGaara: **Well, I do like Terry. I just don't like his non-2003 outfit, that's all. Anyway, I think Rock's much better.

**holyknight: **Yeah, that usually happens when somebody who doesn't know about the Kyuubi mess with Naruto.

**Raven11: **I'm still waiting for that to come out! Do you think it'll be for the PS2?

**soul ice: **Thanks. Kyo's one of my favourite characters, though I can't use him very well. His super cancels are too hard for me, so I use Shingo instead. Laugh out loud. "BAKI--!" after a fake Aragami is always fun.

**Sourdough-AK: **Oh, no problem. Iori's definitely going to be in there, though the way that he's integrated might not surprise you.

**jpthug12: **Thanks! I intend to.

* * *

I regret to say, my readers. I suffer from a textbook case of '2-much-xovers!' syndrome, it's a very fatal disease that causes many, many elements from way too many different shows and comics and stuff to be stuffed inside one story. Of course, my case isn't as bad as many. I can find ways to incorporate elements from other series into Naruto. Oh, and a word of warning. There will be chocobos in this story, bet your life on it.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Nail Art, Crescent Moon, Golden Sun, the Kyuubi, and You**

* * *

Elsewhere...

A slim figure dangled itself over a terrace, staring at the commotion down in the streets. He wore a red outfit, emblazoned with flames on the edges of the fabric. His platinum blonde hair was kept parted with a headband, and he was staring, searching for something intently.

_This is boring... When will they get here?_

The figure silently lifted his hand, inspecting something. In the dim sunlight, blocked by the black clouds above, a elegant hand with nail art was seen. The figure looked at it, and was apparently disgusted with something. Probably not the nail art itself, though other people would probably rather die than be seen with something like that in public.

_Hmm, why did I have to choose those two for the mission again? One's a loud, annoying braggart, and the other one's way too cold and feminine-looking for my tastes. _The figure apparently ignored the fact that he himself was also way too feminine. _Well, we don't have much time left. That's my fault for letting him go crazy in the last town when he found out fifty percent of the restaurants specialized in crabs._

"Hey!" A voice called from behind him, and Ash smiled. Shen was here. "I brought you back some of that french candy stuff you love so much! Thank me please, I didn't even know they had that stuff here in Rock Country." Ash warily turned around, it wasn't like Shen to be nice. What he found didn't surprise him.

"Shen, that's a croissant." He said, pointing at the pastry.

"What's the difference?"

Ash refrained from smacking his forehead in disbelief and just sighed in exasperation. Oh well, Shen wasn't exactly the expert in food except where crabs were concerned. Ash turned back to the streets, and Shen walked up beside him, munching on he croissant that he _had _been saving for the flame-wielder. Oh well, if he didn't want it, there was no point in letting it go to waste, hm?

"So, did you find him?" Ash asked.

Shen shook his head.

"Nope, he'll be here when he wants to be here." Shen said, sagely.

"Any ideas when he'll want to be here?" Ash asked icily. There wasn't much time left, three months. It would take two months just to travel to the Leaf, and that meant they would only have one month left to execute the plan. "Seriously, we want to get out of this town by noon."

Suddenly, a monotone voice spoke behind them.

"I'm here." A tall slim figure, wrapped in a black coat emblazoned with two dragons, said. His hair was pulled back in a peculiar way, and his pale complexion would've made anyone think, if they met him in a dark alley in the middle of the night, that he was a vampire. Not exactly far from the truth. Most of the Hizoku clan did have a taste for blood anyways.

Ash and Shen both turned around quickly. It was always unnerving that he could sneak up behind somebody so silently and quickly. But the Hizoku clan specialized in assassinations and silent killing, so it was to be expected.

"Well, if you're both here. Then let's go already." Ash said, calmly. Shen nodded happily, and Duo Lon did nothing at all. "Get back to the hotel room and pack up your bags. Sight-seeings over, remember, the mission comes first."

Shen and Duo Lon nodded, and vanished. Ash sighed. It was hard being a jounin when both you're teammates were chuunin. Very, very hard. Suddenly, a glint of metal was seen on Ash's upper arm. Tied around the soft red fabric that was Ash's shirt, was a hitae-ate. The symbol on the headband was a star.

He took out a sheet of paper from his pocket, and checked it over again.

Ash smiled. As a jounin of the Hidden Galaxy village, it was his duty to accomplish all missions given by the Hoshikage. And that was exactly what he was going to do.

* * *

Kyo stared uneasily at the kid in front of him. He was still in that trance of his, even though he had been there a good half hour already. Kyo had been tempted to get closer, but each time the tails had hit him away. The tails weren't normal either, they were made of Magatama. Strong Magatama. Stuff that even Kyo couldn't reach. Each swipe of the tails had left marks across his arms, and his black jacket was all but ruined. He would have to get a new one after this, with the money that his dad had given him of course.

Suddenly, the boy blinked, and the tails vanished. Kyo cautiously took a step forwards.

"Um... Kyo-sensei? What happened? Why are you hurt?"

"Actually, I was hoping that you could tell me. Nothing like this had ever happened before, at least that I know of."

Naruto gulped, there was no way around it. He couldn't bluff something that he didn't know about, after all. And maybe there was more to the ritual than the Kyuubi had said... he definitely felt stronger, after all. Though that might've been the burning feeling that coursed through his veins now... it was a warm feeling, unlike the rough burning that seemed to scorch his organs when the ritual had been occuring.

And so, to a interested Kyo, Naruto spilt the beans.

* * *

Elsewhere...

Many shattered men were lying all across the grassy plains. There was blood, there were body parts, there was evidence of a battle. Broken kunai, snapped shuriken... The corpses of men and women burnt to death. And there was only one standing figure.

He stood silently, the moonlight washing across his back. His eyes were downcast, as if afraid the light would reveal his identity, though to who might be the question. There was no one left alive in the fields, except for him. He wore a strange outfit, caked with dirt and grime. Blood stained his hands, though he was unhurt. A black tuxedo-like jacket covered a long white shirt. He wore red pants that were tied together at the knees with a long belt that didn't seem to hinder his movements, and, almost out of place, were his kunai holsters and his headband, which he had tied around his upper left arm.

"You know, you didn't have to go all out, sir." A blonde woman said. She hadn't been there a moment ago. She was wearing nearly the same type of thing that the man was, though of course, her's was a lot more feminine. She wore dangling earrings... a strange sight, comsidering how much of a target it would be to enemy ninjas. It was proof enough of her strength that she was a jounin, and yet her ears were still undamaged.

"Shut up, Mature." Another red-haired woman said. She also hadn't been there a moment ago. Like the blonde female, Mature, she wore clothing similar to the red-haired man's, though where they had white, she had red. Her hair was cut short, and her earings were of the non-dangling type. She looked bored. "You know how he is after a battle. He's all adrenaline and shit."

"Vice." Mature chided the red-haired woman. Though Vice's hair was red, it was a dark red, almost mistakable for black, while the man's hair was more of a maroon colour. "Don't speak that way of your superiors. Iori-san might have problems controlling his power, but in both rank and status, he's higher than you."

"Meh, not my problem." Vice said, grumbling.

The red-haired man hadn't said a word since the two women had appeared. But now he opened his mouth, and in a dry voice he croaked, "Have we recieved any new orders yet?"

"Yes." Mature said, procuring a paper from her left pocket and tossing it over to the red-haired man. "Here it is, sir."

"Hmph, don't worry about me." The red-haired man started reading the letter, and after he had finished skimming through it, he read through it again, this time with wider eyes. After he had finished the third time, he started laughing, slowly at first, but then faster and faster, louder and louder.

"Kusanagi... Hahaha... Kusanagi! KUSANAGIIII!"

The two women started chuckling.

The moonlight washed over the man, his features now shown. On his face was a maniacal glare. He brought his left hand up to his forehead, and his laughter got madder and madder.

On his back, was the emblem of a large white crescent moon. And on his hitae-ate, was the symbol of the Hidden Galaxy.

* * *

"So that's what happened." Kyo muttered as he rubbed his forehead. He and Naruto were both sitting, cross-legged, in the clearing where they had the ritual. Naruto inspected his orange outfit, there was nothing wrong. The red character that Kyo had swiped across the orange fabric had disappeared, and so had the symbols that he had left on the ground. "Sorry about that, it was my fault. I should've asked you some questions before doing the ritual."

Naruto was surprised.

"You're not afraid of me? You're not mad at me?" Naruto asked. Years of abuse had left its mark on the child after all, it was deep within his psyche that if anybody knew about the Kyuubi within him, then they would hate him instantly. That was the sole reason he had kept from telling this stranger for so long.

"Why would I be afraid of you? I can kick your ass from here to the moon, and then afterwards I can send you to hell and then drag you back, only to send you to hell again. And why would I be mad at you? I didn't ask about the Kyuubi, and you never knew how the ritual was supposed to work, so why would I be mad at you?" Kyo asked, quizzically.

Naruto's mouth was dry.

"I mean... all the villagers..."

Kyo nodded. He understood now. It was the same with the Sanshu no Jingi, the Trinity Clans. They were different, so they were feared. And it didn't help that people usually didn't forget bad blood. Villages had black sheep, and villagers need scapegoats.

"Ah. I get it. Well... I guess it's because I've never met this Kyuubi head-on. He's never done anything to me, and I've never done anything to him. And even if we did have a feud or something, why would I be mad at you for caging a dangerous creature?" Kyo asked, with an air of confidence.

"R--Really!" Naruto asked, his voice quivering.

"You, my boy, suffer from a serious lack of faith." Kyo grinned, though he was surprised when the boy didn't laugh back, and only turned his head down. Kyo was suddenly worried, what if he had hurt the boy somehow with his words? "Hmm? What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

"Thank you."

Naruto's face rose, and Kyo lost his breath for a second. The boy's face was full of gratitude, the type that one man gave another for saving his life. Ushed tears were brimming at the edges of his eyes. Kyo was suddenly afraid, there was no way he could leave this kid now, not after this. It was like he was drowning, and Kyo was a thread in the rope that he was hanging on to. Did this kid have friends at least? At least... When he was part of the Trinity Clans, he had friends to help him... Family members that would care for him and tell him everything would be alright... This orphan didn't have anything like that. Kyo cursed, damn his compassionate spirit, damn it all!

"Don't worry about it. Wipe your tears, I don't train crybabies." Kyo regained his composure. He threw Naruto a napkin that he procured from his pocket, and grinned. "Let's get to the training now. We've only got... three hours left. That's good enough for me to teach you how to use the Magatama, and if we're lucky, maybe a simple Shiki."

Naruto wiped vigorously. Hard enough for his face to become red.

"YEAH!"

Kyo grinned.

* * *

**S-Class Mission: Code 2052**

**S-Class Order (override any previous missions)**

**S-Class Objective (use any means necessary)**

**S-Class Personnel (best shinobi deployed)**

**Issued by the Hoshikage, date xx/xx/xxxx**

**Assigned to: Ash Crimson, Shen Woo, Duo Lon of the Hizoku**

**Objectives: Retrieve the guardian spirit of the Hidden Galaxy, Kyuubi no Kistune. Information recieved is that it is currently sealed within a Hidden Leaf genin known as Uzumaki Naruto. Use any means necessary to retrieve him unharmed. Do not try to extract the Kyuubi. You have a three months time limit. Do not ask why.**

**

* * *

**

_S-Class Mission: Code 2053_

_S-Class Order (override any previous missions)_

_S-Class Objective (use any means necessary)_

_S-Class Personnel (best shinobi deployed)_

_Issued by the Hoshikage, date xx/xx/xxxx_

_Assigned to: Iori Yagami, Mature, Vice_

_Objectives: Kill the nukenin Kyo Kusanagi. Information recieved is that he currently resides within the Hidden Leaf. His goal is to become a shinobi of Konoha. Retrieve or kill him before he does, as it would be an act of war to hunt another village's shinobi. The estimated time you have is three months. Go now, and burn this paper._

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter, I just needed to set the settings and everything. Now that's another six KOF characters down, and I'll bet you're itching to see some other Naruto characters except for Naruto himself, huh? Well, you'll get that... next chapter! Thanks for all the reviews, people! 


	4. Chapter 3: Sanshu no Jingi

**Lunar Eclipse**

**by Random Writer 46**

**Summary: **Three clans, one destiny, and one boy to change it all. (KOF Elements and characters included.)

---

**Chapter 3: Sanshu no Jingi**

---

**Eden Grave: **Well, Orochi isn't going to be a key player until sometime later. He'll be briefly mentioned every now and then, but if you're looking to see some serious action with him, it's going to take a while.

**Raven11: **I already knew about the Clark Steel and Ralf Jones thing... I head Clark would be able to throw and Ralf would be able to use his vulcan punches. That'd be awesome. I hope they make KOFXI for the PS2, and it'd better not be too rare.

**Dragon Man 180: **Well, Kyo isn't exactly Sennin level. On a good day he might be able to top Kakashi in a fight, but only on good days. Though, since nobody in the Leaf knows of him so far, he might be able to get the drop on them with a Orochinagi or something.

**madnarutofan: **Maybe, maybe. I don't know myself!

**Gato-sama: **Thanks, I expect not many people have reviewed so far because it hasn't hit the 20000 words mark yet. I know of plenty of people who only read fics that are 20k and higher. Myself included.

**RaitenKitsune: **Thanks, I really appreciate reviews like yours, even though I might not say much on it. Please keep reading my fic!

---

Kyo stared down at the empty wallet in front of him, and sighed. He had used up all his green to get himself an apartment, and had already talked to the Hokage's secretary (_or assistant, he couldn't really tell. The woman with the little oinker seemed pretty miffed about being stuck with paperwork though_) about getting an interview tomorrow. He had taught Naruto two new skills. The kid was a fast learner but there was a set amount of skills that he could teach the foxboy, the Uzumaki Magatama was different from the Kusanagi Magatama.

Naruto had taken to the techniques like a moth to a flame. He didn't specialize in flames, he excelled in the use of them. His clothing now had traces of burning all over them, and he would have to buy the kid some fire-proof clothing, preferably soon. There should be at least one tailor in a village of Fire Country ninjas that could make something like that, and even if there wasn't he could always make some himself. It wasn't that hard, though it probably wouldn't look that good. Oh well, small price to pay, and that was only if there wasn't a suitable tailor around. What would be the chances?

Kyo allowed himself a geniune smile as he visualized the face of the foxboy after he had gotten his second and third skills. There was something about the idealist orange-clad Genin that brought people to him. The brown-haired nukenin himself had been affected.

---

"Alright then." Kakashi said. Team 7 minus one was gathered around a small clearing. Both Naruto and Sakura were sitting on logs, while their sensei was standing upside down on a tree branch and reading his perverted book. "There isn't anything special we're going to do today, but there is a little assignment that I'm supposed to give to you."

"What is it sensei?" Sakura asked apprehensively. Naruto was pessimistic about the mission though. It was probably going ot be another one of those stupid D-rank missions! What was a ninja doing buying groceries and pulling weeds anyway? Those were errand boy jobs!

Kakashi put his book away, and suddenly both Sakura and Naruto perked up. Their perverted sensei never put his book away unless it was something important. It didn't seem that serious, but still.

"We're going to be having a little competition." Kakashi said. "The ninja academy has asked the recently graduated Genins to demonstrate what they have learnt out of school. This is going to be a C-rank mission."

Naruto couldn't help but feel his spirit drop.

"That's it?"

Sakura seemed to share his sentiment, though she didn't show it.

"It's nothing to scoff at. It's going to be tournament style. The other Genin teams are going to be coming with you. The other Jounin-senseis have agreed to do this with us. We've already set up the order." Kakashi said. "Remember, I want you to fight with your very best. This is going to something that the newer generation can look up to and learn from. This will fuel their motivation. It's much more important than you think."

Naruto had perked up at the mention of tournament.

"Oh? Do we get to fight them again?"

Sakura sighed, exasperated, and socked him a good one on his skull. Naruto grasped his head in pain, excaliming a short 'itai'.

"What do you think, dumbass?" The pink-haired girl growled.

Kakashi chuckled at both of his students' exchange, before thinking back to his childhood days. Maybe that wasn't the right word for it though... Ninjas usually defined childhood as the period of time before you took your first kill, and Kakashi had taken his at the age of six. No... He was thinking of his younger days.

Obito and Rin had always fought like that, before Obito had been crushed to death by that boulder, and Rin had been killed on a mission when she was a Chuunin. The previous Team 7 had been shattered, and every time that Kakashi had been assigned his students he had always failed them for not living up to the name of his own team... Maybe he just had high standards. The day that he had seen Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura, his guard had slipped however. Sasuke's features were a blast from the past... Naruto's energetic attitude and ramen obsession that seemed to rival his teacher's... Sakura, who seemed so much like Rin.

For that fleeting moment, he had wanted to pass them. Wanted them to take his place on Team 7, wanted to see his past life in them, and had wanted to teach and guide each of them on their way to happiness and glory. Sasuke's revenge-obsessed mind and Sakura's lack of will were both ignored... So many mistakes that he had made, and no way of correcting them...

And then Sasuke had tried to betray Konoha. Went to Orochimaru for power because of his weak will, his unwillingness to fight against the lure of the curse seal. Sakura had been powerless to stop him because she was so weak, and Naruto had nearly been killed from a technique that he had taught the Uchiha boy himself. It would've been a permanent stain on Konoha's history... The last survivor of the Uchiha clan killing a teammate with a skill that their Jounin-sensei had taught him himself.

But the past was past, Sasuke was back in Konoha, and everybody was fine. Kakashi looked at the bickering pair in front of him again. They were laughing, growling, yelling, but most of all, having fun. What was it that his sensei had taught him before...? Everybody makes mistakes and not all can be fixed, but the mightiest are the ones who can stand up and keep going.

"You both have one week to prepare. Sakura, Naruto. If either one of you want any training, come and talk to me about it." Kakashi said. Both of his students looked up. "Sakura... I want you to train yourself now. There's no way to get stronger if you don't work hard for it. Naruto, do you still want to come with me and train?"

"Ah, no thanks Kakashi-sensei." Naruto declined. Both Kakashi and Sakura looked at him in surprise, though the former less so. "I've already got another sensei. He's teaching me a lot of things! He's so cool, he can make stuff blow up and make stuff set on fire... It's his Bloodline!" Naruto didn't disclose the information that he also had the ability, he was going to save it for the demonstration and surprise everybody!

Kakashi felt his heart sink, but then he couldn't blame the foxboy. After how Kakashi had ignored him, it would make sense that he get another teacher. But from what it sounded like it wasn't going to be Jiraiya this time, as far as he knew the only fire technique that Jiraiya commonly used was a simple Katon that he used mainly for lighting Gamabunta's oil.

Who was Naruto's new sensei?

_Elsewhere, Kyo sneezed._

"Alright then, meeting adjourned. You are dismissed."

---

"What are you waiting for?"

Two figures were seen standing outside the gates of Konoha. The situated guards stared at them strangely as the woman wearing white robes waited for the youngster with the blonde hair and the red jacket to catch up. It was pretty clear that the woman was getting impatient, and the young man was getting really tired. He carried a large pack on his back, something that a non-shinobi could never carry because even as the guards watched the ground cracked underneath the youngster's every step.

"But, Kagura-san! You made me run all the way here from Suna carrying all this stuff, no breaks either!" Rock Howard wheezed as he bent over to catch his breath. It had been a terrible mistake to try and learn from somebody other than Terry for a while. Chizuru Kagura was a slave driver. She made him buy the groceries, do the laundry, book the inns and motels... God! And whenever he complained she said it was a part of his training. He had been taught by Terry to never forsake his training, and Chizuru knew exactly how to manipulate him. Damn her!

The robe-wearing woman ignored him and showed her passport to the two guards that stood in front of the gate. They nodded and called to the men on the other side of the gate that would then open it. When the great gate finally creaked open, Chizuru walked through, as though completely forgotten about her young charge. Only when the gate closed did Rock Howard get to the gates.

"Ah, sorry sempais, but that was my sensei who just passed through. Can you please open the door for me?"

The guards shook their heads sympathetically, as Rock Howard let out a resounding wail. His own passport was still stuck in the pile of stuff that Kagura-sensei had made him carry! Turning around, he took a look at the mountain of packs and junk that he had been forced to carry. Letting it fall to the floor (which made a miniature earthquake), Rock Howard began to sort through the load.

He sighed, it was going to be a long day.

---

Chizuru walked down the streets of Konoha silently, like a white ghost. It was true that she pushed her student hard, but it was truthfully to build up his stamina, will, and character. She had taken a solemn vow when Terry had handed him over to her, and all he had asked was for him to grow up into a man to be respected. Kagura never failed promises, especially not from somebody like the Lonely Wolf of Uchuugakure himself. He was a dear childhood friend, her second. She had met Kyo before him actually...

That brought her attention back to the matter at hand. Recently, for some reason, Uchuugakure had stepped up the call to bring missing-nins to justice. The lower class ones were being hunted down first, and various ninja had been drafted out of their previous duties to help. Chizuru had been taken from her Jounin-sensei position, and had been assigned to the Kyo Kusanagi case, which had seemed to suddenly become a top priority, though there were only two teams assigned. One of them were Rock Howard and herself, and the other was Team 1211. Even the mention of that team sent shivers down her spine. They were the best, most efficient hunter-nin that the Hidden Galaxy had ever known. Iori Yagami was truly a maniac, though it was said that there were only around ten members left in the Yagami clan.

But she didn't want to kill him. He was such a cheerful kid when she had known him. He was the deadlast, but he used his determination to presevere. He had become her friend when one day the clan leaders got together to discuss their futures, the Kusanagi, the Yagami, and the Kagura. He had approached her shyly and asked her if she wanted to play with him. That was a long time ago, back when they were still children. She had heard that he had left the village after his team had been killed, and nobody had paid any attention except for the three clans. Though they were widely regarded to be weak, the Sanshu no Jingi had pride. The leaving of Kyo had caused a rift in the clans, mostly between the Kusanagi and the Yagami. The Kaguras were left in the middle to mediate.

And now the heirs of both the Kagura and the Yagami were sent to assassinate the runaway heir of the Kusanagi. Was this fate?

She ran her hands through her hair, sighing.

_Elsewhere, Kyo sneezed again._

_---_

"Alright, remember. The Oniyaki is meant to be used for opponents who try to use jumping to get to you." Kyo said. He had summoned up two bunshins, and was giving Naruto demonstrations. Through bunshins couldn't be used to actually attack an enemy, they could do damage to other bunshins. Naruto watched intently as a clone of Kyo rebounded off a tree and try to score a hit before being hit away by a flaming uppercut.

Suddenly, Kyo sneezed. Naruto gazed at him, concerned.

"Damn, been doing that all day." Kyo said. "Somebody must be thinking of me a lot."

Naruto shrugged, and turned back to the demonstration. Now he knew the Yamibarai, the Oniyaki, and the Aragami as well as a few of the consecutive chains that came after it. He couldn't get the exact timing of the Autoguard down though. He had heard from Kyo-sensei that the Magatama released a special energy when summoned that could prevent any damage from coming to him. It was only for a split second or so, so timing was critically important. Kyo had already demonstrated a few situations where some of his strongest moves had been blocked by the Aragami and the Oniyaki.

Kyo had met him on the training grounds when the meeting with the rest of his group had been adjourned. The young nukenin had immediately began to train him again, and was now working on a bit of theory as well as sparring. They first had a quick bout in which Kyo used only the techniques that Naruto had learnt to show him which ones were the most effective and in what kind of situation. There had been many times when the brown-haired shinobi had blocked the strikes that Naruto launched with the Autoguard, which demonstrated the might of it. He had even blocked a Rasengan with it, Naruto marvelled, and before the System Energy (which Kyo called the chakra that the Magatama gave off to activate Autoguard) had dispelled, Kyo had sent Naruto flying with a powerful Aragami. When Naruto had gotten up, he had realized that Kyo had suffered no damage whatsoever, not even his clothing had been ruffled.

And it was then that Naruto had truly learnt the power of the Magatama that he had held. It didn't hold the power of Chidori or Tsunade's massive strength, but the varieties of ways that it could be used and both its offensive and defensive powers were amazing. Kyo had explained that even he had never mastered the Magatama, and when he fought at high speeds he wasn't good enough at predicting a foe's moves to use Autoguard.

"Now, I'm going to teach you one more move, and that's all you're going to learn until you get good enough at these moves to predict Autoguard. I'll judge when you're good enough, alright?" Kyo asked, and Naruto had nodded. The brown-haired nukenin proceeded to show him the technique that he was going to teach him. The two bunshins were lined up once more, facing each other nonchalantly.

"Alright, watch!"

One of the bunshins charged forwards, while the other hunched over, his back turned towards Naruto and Kyo. The first bunshin prepared the Aragami, and struck the hunching bunshin with it. To Naruto's surprise, the Autoguard actually manifested itself in a light blue barrier. The first bunshin proceeded to combo the Aragami, sending strikes raining down on top of the other bunshin, but the Autoguard would not crack. Suddenly, the hunched bunshin roared, and the barrier exploded. It charged forwards, striking the first bunshin with a jab, and then a crouching uppercut. The sounds of explosions accompanied the orange glow that covered the second bunshin's fist.

"That's one of the Desperation Moves, a technique called the 182 Shiki. Some of the Shiki that our families use lose their names after a while because nobody ever thinks to record them down, and all that's left is the number. Sometimes not even that." Kyo said. "As you can see, the Autoguard for this move is humongous, but it takes a while to charge up. Of course, it could come out faster but then it wouldn't be as strong."

Naruto watched the whole thing in awe.

---

Kyo taught Naruto the technique. He learnt it quickly, the boy seemed to have an affinity towards higher-leveled techniques, for instance preferring the Kage Bunshin to the everyday Bunshin.The missing-nin supposed that it was because of the higher levels of Chakra that the Kyuubi gave him, and the fluctuations in Chakra management. Most higher-level skills did not require finesse and skill, they required raw power and Naruto was happy to supply that.

"Alright then, let's spar." Kyo said, after Naruto had finished learning the technique. "I want to see how you fight. Come at me with whatever you want, it doesn't have to have anything to do with the Magatama at all. This time I'm not holding back any of my techniques!"

Kyo dropped into his standard fighting stance. Naruto copied him, though his was more relaxed. Instead of turning his body sideways, his only slightly shifted his footing and raised his arm in front of him. He had been taught this style by Kyo, since the older ninja's stance didn't seem to work well for him.

"Ikuze!" Kyo cried, and charged forwards. **"MOERO!"**

Naruto instinctively tried to block, but that was a mistake. Kyo's elbow strike stunned him, and before he could retaliate he felt his head being lifted by his sensei. Everything suddenly became hot, and Naruto was blasted backwards by an orange explosion. He caught himself in time and landed on his feet, gasping, but he couldn't rest for long, Kyo leapt at him from the air. Naruto recognized it as the Naraku Otoshi. But Kyo himself had taught him what to do here...

**"HYAAAHH!"** Naruto cried, and leapt up in a spiral. Flames erupted from his body, and Kyo narowly avoided it, though he had to stop his attack. Kyo rebounded off midair, and leapt away. Naruto stopped the attack immediately after he saw Kyo escape, there was no point in wasting Chakra by summoning the Magatama now. They both hit the floor, Kyo landing in a roll and Naruto crouching.

Kyo grinned. His student was a fast learner.

Naruto brought his hands up in a cross-like seal.

**"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"**

Suddenly, shadow clones of Naruto appeared all over the clearing. They charged at the brown-haired Jounin all at once with a resounding battlecry. The nukenin looked up at them and grinned, before raising his arm and drawing on Chakra from himself to summon the Magatama. Flames lighted up his hand, and just as the Narutos were about to reach him, he swung.

**"Kurai... YAGARE!"**

The serpent wave flashed through the masses of Kage Bunshin, each one of them popping out of existence as they came into contact with the raging flames. The Ura 108 Shiki: Orochinagi was one of the strongest techniques of the Kusanagi clan... It had been developed by the first user of the Magatama, and so far no technique had managed to duplicate its mighty priority, its variety of uses, and the damage that it inflicted.

Suddenly, out of the raging inferno popped Naruto. Kyo's eyes widened as his orange-clad student charged forwards.

**"Hiiyyyyaaaahh!"**

Naruto had pulled an Aragami out of his ass. The flaming punch burst fowards, and Kyo had to shift his head to avoid the attack, but even as he did so, he felt the heat of the burn on his cheek. It was as if Naruto's fist was actually there, but in reality, the kid was still in front of him. That was one of the good things about the Aragami, it extended range. Kyo spun forwards as soon as the attack had ended. With another fierce punch he sent the youngster careening into a tree. The Aragami was strong, yes, but the Dokugami was stronger.

He was pleasantly surprised when Naruto rebounded off the tree with an attack that looked frighteningly similar to one of Kyo's own.

**"Koma Ho Furi!"** Naruto cried. Kyo's eyes widened. _That was his RED Kick!_

Naruto spun across the air in an arc, and slammed his foot onto Kyo's back. The powerful kick knocked the nukenin into the ground, before he burst into smoke and disappeared, replaced by a badly damaged log. Naruto looked around. That had been the Kawarimi. Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him and was about to use the Aragami again, before he saw Kyo with a small white napkin raised.

"Time out." Kyo said briskly. He had an unidentified glint in his eyes that made Naruto slightly nervous. "Got a question I wanna ask ya."

"Huh? Oh, shoot." Naruto said. Was that it?

"That was my technique, wasn't it?"

"Um... Yeah."

"Good, just wanted to make sure." Kyo said, and returned the white napkin to his pocket. He narrowed his eyes... If what he suspected was true, then maybe... "How did you manage to learn that technique when I've never really taught it to you?"

"Um... I kind of just remembered what it looked like. It didn't look that hard to do, so I tried it out. Though I don't think I got it completely..."

Kyo listened in disbelief.

"You mean, you just looked at my attack and learnt it?"

"Um... Yeah, is there something wrong about that?"

"No, nothing." Kyo said, in thought. After a period of silence, he looked at Naruto again and asked a question. "Naruto, can you remember every detail of a fight? Every little thing?"

"Yeah... Why? Isn't that normal?"

"No, not particularly... Naruto, do you only remember the details of a fight, or everything?"

"Um, well... Only fights, I guess."

Kyo nodded. This would warrant a little research.

---

Rock Howard had finally found his passport, and made his way into Konoha. He booked himself and Chizuru an inn, before setting down the large pile of stuff (he was lucky he had found a motel with hard floors, the last one that they had gone to the large bag o' stuff had broken through two floors and cracked the last). Then, checking his watch and finding plenty of spare time to actually go out and do something, he happily marched out of the room and down to ground floor. Exiting the small inn, he tried to find a map of Konoha that would show him where to go.

His goal? The arcades of course. Grinning, he took a PSP out of his pocket, and popped in 'Nippon Ichi's Best: Collection of Games'. He loaded up his Phantom Brave save file, intending on hitting a few random dungeons before getting to the arcade. His mystic seriously needed some powering up.

Rock Howard wasn't only a ninja, he was a gamer.

---

Whew... Finally! The chapter is done. It's been a while since I've updated, hasn't it?


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